Honor Pre-Fall 2012: Messy Perfection

We weren't sure if anyone--Giovanna Randall included--could create something as swoon-worthy as Honor's beautiful spring 2012 collection. So we were pleased to find that with her first-ever pre-fall collection, Randall hasn't lost one bit of the momentum she built this past season.

We weren't sure if anyone--Giovanna Randall included--could create something as swoon-worthy as Honor's beautiful spring 2012 collection. So we were pleased to find that with her first-ever pre-fall collection, Randall hasn't lost one bit of the momentum she built this past season.

Randall saw this collection as an opportunity to provide a more boyish answer to her ultra-girly spring collection and the result, while still feminine and perfectly tailored, is probably about as close as she can get to rough-around-the-edges. For example, the inspiration for one print was the idea of a girl painting and accidentally getting paint all over her. The result is a more interesting alternative to the floral prints we're all sick of and looks great on dress sleeves, shorts and even a full-length jumpsuit.

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The 100-piece collection offers a range of options that will appeal to buyers (they're expanding their wholesale business), from ladylike full and knee-length skirts to suiting in punch-y colors to super-short pinup-like satin shorts. My personal favorites were a black tailored dress with printed long sleeves, a black and white vintage print pleated shirtdress, a black lace long-sleeve pleated babydoll dress...and also literally everything else. It's all just so perfect. Expect to see bigger things from Honor in the near future: in addition to wholesale, they plan to launch e-commerce in 2012. Click through to see the full look book.

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While spring and fall seasons may give us more to to ooh and ahh over, pre-collections often present more of what we actually want to wear. It makes sense, since everyone says the in-between seasons are the most important for retailers. And these designers have succeeded in making things we already want to buy, desperately. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until early summer ("pre-fall" is a bit misnomer) to do so. Click through for what we feel were the 10 most drool-worthy collections so far.

It's no secret that we are big Honor fans here at Fashionista. Just about every collections Giovanna Randall has shown thus far in her relatively young career as a designer has been so beautiful and elegant that it takes our breath away. Her fall outing, inspired by "this preppy boy on his semester abroad in college and meeting an exotic woman from South or Central America and how their styles mix together" was no exception. Not that it was more of the same. The prints--a big rose print and a geometric art deco print--were new and as Randall explained, she "took it a little bid bolder" this season.
That boldness could be seen in strong reds and purples and gorgeous big box-shaped bags. Still, she mainly stuck to wearable, classic silhouettes, as she tends to do. We were actually surprised by the lack of red carpet-worthy gowns, considering her burgeoning popularity with Hollywood starlets like Kirsten Dunst and Shailene Woodley, who was in the front row looking like the low-key, five-finger shoe wearing, former American Apparel employee she truly is.

Honor designer Giovanna Randall burst onto the New York fashion scene in a big way. The med school dropout just showed her second collection and her first ever runway show--but when Alexa Chung is sitting front row, you know you're making the right kind of buzz.
And the collection lived up to the hype. We were already big fans of Honor's ultra feminine and dreamy aesthetic after her first presentation last season, and her fall 2011 collection confirmed our love. It was elegant and thoughtful and luxe with a '70s vibe that wasn't overbearing. Pants were flowy and wide-legged, paired with tunic tops with a thick belt. Long sleeved column dresses that were cinched at the waist billowed as the models walked (my personal favorite). Even though most looks were paired with adorable Repetto oxfords or patent loafers, the clothes made each already tall and thin model look taller and thinner. In fact, the skirts that hit just above the ankle looked even chicer because they were paired with flats. The color palette shifted in blocks from muted in putties and black at the start to a shock of raspberry on printed tent minidresses with deep pockets followed by rich emerald on a coat and in chiffon dresses to finish the show.
When I spoke with Randall after the show to ask how she felt she said she could sum up her feelings about the show in three words: "A fucking miracle."

As soon as Giovanna Randall’s first look walked out, it was all over. We were enamored.
Several small fans were stationed at the start of the runway, and as Solomon Burke’s “Cry to Me” (which you may recognize from a very memorable Dirty Dancing scene) began to play, they created an intentional Marilyn Monroe moment with the first look: a paisley silk organza cupcake dress, but without the coyness. The model just stood their for a second, letting it happen. It took our breath away, inspired the audience to applaud and set the tone for the rest of the show: unadulterated gorgeousness via sweet ‘60s glamour with a sense of humor. Apparently, someone cried at Honor’s first show and while that sounds like a rather extreme reaction to clothes, we totally get it now.
The clothes were so precious, delicate and beautiful, it was hard to believe they were real.